Samone Lett is a successful chef and businesswoman well-seasoned by cycles of hardships and triumphs. After 20 years in Orlando, she’s now moved to Georgia to become a factor in the film industry, bringing with her the experiences of several lifetimes.
A producer encouraged her to bring her talent to Georgia to help serve the film industry. It wasn’t long before she got a short-term contract to serve lunches at a studio and cater an industry event. More assignments are on the horizon.
“I was just overwhelmed by the warm and helpful reception I got here,” says Samone, owner of Wishful Concepts, a catering and event-management business now based in Atlanta.
An Army veteran from Brooklyn, Samone has degrees in hospitality management (City College of Orlando) and culinary arts (Le Cordon Bleu). She has been a volunteer counselor to women getting out of prison, an experience that reinforced in her the power of compassion and healing, assets she brings to her work.
“I learned early on that I loved being with customers more than being in the kitchen,” Samone says. “I love food, but I’m more than a chef. I work best when I’m part of a family.”
In 2017, Samone appeared on the Food Network hit show, “Cooks vs. Cons.” She loved it, and the affection on the set was mutual. “They let me stay on as the last person because we enjoyed our time together so much,” she says. That feeling carried over to her appearance for three episodes of the “Food Network Star.”
The woman who sees the world as family now sees Georgia as home. “For 20 years in Florida people would ask me where I was from, and I’d say Brooklyn,” Samone says.
“Now they ask, and I say Georgia. The tremendous opportunities and people here make me truly feel that I’ve come home.”